Men’s Wearhouse Fired George Zimmer for Being ‘Difficult’ — So What’s His Next Act?

There really are no guarantees in the business world. George Zimmer, the famed self-promoting founder of Men’s Wearhouse, has been forced out of his own company due to heated disagreements with the board, according to the New York Times.

“You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.” Zimmer’s notorious sign-off featured in Men’s Wearhouse commercials has been airing widely since 1986. Perhaps it was bad karma produced by countless broken but legally impregnable promises that led to Mr. Zimmer’s brusque demotion.

More likely is that it had to do with disagreements between Zimmer and the board regarding the founder’s personal influence on company decisions. “Over the past several months I have expressed my concerns to the Board about the direction the company is currently heading,” Zimmer explained in a statement to CNBC on Wednesday. “Instead of fostering the kind of dialogue in the Boardroom that has in part contributed to our success, the Board has inappropriately chosen to silence my concerns through termination as an executive officer.”

The CNBC article also quotes Stifel analyst Richard Jaffe’s statement released to clients in which he reckons that the split had more to do with Zimmer’s “difficulty letting go of the reigns and leadership of the business.”